Scutching-machine.



j. HUBLER.

SCUTCHING MACHINE.

APPLICATION FILED Dec. 1a. 1916.

Lgm, Patentedsepn 11,191?,

3 SHEETS-SHEET l.

@ @maf/2% wmf,

HUBLER.

ING M N FILED SCUTCH APPLICATION Patented Sept. 11, 1917'.

SHEETS-SHEET 2.

I. HUBLER.

SCUTCHING MACHINE.

APPLICATION FILED 950.18. IsIe.

Patented Sept; 11, 1917.

3 SHEETS-SHEET 3 Lgll rfi llrl mg and combing action to remove hurds andv vso 'JOHN HUJBL 0F BRANDON, WISCONSIN".

SCUTCHING-MACHINE.

l masacre.

Specification of Letters Patent. Pagmggd Sep@ jljl, 191% Application led December 18, 1916. Serial No. 137,610.

To all 'whom t may concern:

Beit known that I, JorritT HUBLER,l a citizen of the United States, and resident of Brandon, in the county of Fond du Lac and State 4of Wisconsin, have invented certain new and useful Improvements in Scutching- Machines, and do hereby declare that the following is a full, clear, and exact description thereof.

This invention relates to new and useful improvements in scutching machines for treating hemp or the like and is more particularly directed to the provision of a machine of the general type embodied in Patent No. 12O061 5,l granted to me October 10, 1916, and

comprlslng a gripping throat mechanism for l holding and conveyingthe hemp past a pair of opposed gripping drums adapted to beat and comb the hemp upon a pair of coacting skeleton aprons disposed under the throat mechanism. i

In theY structure of the said patent, the scutching drums are adapted to engage the hemp simultaneously at bothsides of the gripping throat and consequently that portion of the'hemp at and adjacent the gripping throat'does not receive a proper-beattow fiber from the line ber.'

It is therefore primarily the object of the present invention to provide an 'l arrangement whereby all portions of the hemp receive an elricient scutching action, and inasmuch as I by off-setting the scutching drums longitudinally ofthe machine, it is more specically an object to provide a means for shifting the Igripping engagement of the throat .mechanism with thehemp upon movement thereof from one drum to the succeeding drum, whereby the succeeding drum may effect the scutchin action of 'that portion of the hemp previousIy gripped by the throat mechanism, the hemp being gripped by the throat mechanism adjacent the second drum at its previously\ combed portion whereby the entire lengths of the hemp are subjected to the action ofthe drums. l

Inasmuch as in my present arrangement the hemp has only one side subjected to the action of the scutching drums during its passagel through the machine, it is furthel an object of the invention to provide an exceedingly ecient gripping means for the hemp, whereby it will not become displaced transversely of the machine;

purpose to accomplish this object In this connection it is still further an object to provide an arrangement wherein a maximum amount of friction is eliminated in the travel of the .belt members which comprise the throat portion of my present structure.

With the above and other objects and advantages in view, the invention resides more particularly in the novel combination, formation "and arrangement of parts hereinafter described and pointed out in the appended claims.

y In the drawings:

, Figure 1 is a partly diagrammatic plan view of a scutching machine constructed in accordance with the present invention, the upper portion of the gripping throat mechanism being removed.

Fig. 2 is a diagrammatic elevational view of one of the sections of the gripping throat mechanism.

Fig. 3 is a vertical sectional one of the scutching drums, and the adjacent portion of the gripping throat mechanism, this view being indicated by the line 3 3 of Fig. 1.

Fig. 4 is a horizontal sectional view through the gripping throat mechanism on the line 4 4.- of Fig. 3.

Fig. 5 is a transverse sectional view on the line 5*5 of Fig. 1 showing more particularly thev means for adjusting the scutching drums.

Referring now more particularly to the accompanying drawings, the presentv embodiment of my scutching machine comview through prises a travehng gripping throat mecha- -toxthe scutching drums of my said previous patent, and having associated therewith the usual skeleton aprons 10`arcuately extended downwardly and outwardly from the gripping throat mechanism. i

Each of the sections of the gripping throat mechanism comprises a relatively narrow table or bed formed of outer s 11 and the intermediate sill 12 connected together to form chain receiving channels in the top and bottom faces of the bed and supported by` suitable standards 13. Disposed on the sills 11 are a pair of track rails 14 having up-standing flanges at their outer edges and slidable over these track rails are supporting plates 15 carried on an endless chain 16 trained about suitably mounted sprocket wheels 17 at the ends of the section. Journaled outwardly of and in substantially horizontal alinement with the sprocket wheels 17 are pulleys 18 and trained about these pulleys and about thc pulley 19 at the forward end of the section belou the sprocket wheel 17 is an endless belt 20 which comprises the lower gripping member or throat section. The upper gripping member of the throat section comprises an endless belt 21 trained about a vertically alined pair of pulleys 22 at the forward end of the throat section and about a suitably journaled relatively large pulley 22 at the rear end of the throat section whereby the lower stretch of the belt 21 is parallel to the upper stretch of the belt 20, which is supported on a movable bed formed by the i plates 15 traveling on the track rails 14 of the table. The belts are provided on their engaging surface with longitudinal nesting ribs 23 to afford a positive ipping means for the hemp, and the coactmg stretches of .the belt are resiliently urged together throughout the major portion of their lengths by a series of rollers 24 bearing against each side of the lower stretch of the upper belt 21 and' carried by up-standing plunger rods 25 slidably mounted in the sides of a channel sill 26 extending longitudinally between the stretches of the upper belt and suitably mounted, the resilient pressure of the rollers being procured by exansile springs 27 coiled on the plunger rods elow the sill, The rollers 24 of the series are arranged in staggered relation whereby to afford a most uniform pressure on the belt and alternate rollers of each series are provided with annular flanges 28 at their outer ends to retain the belt 21 in proper position.

Inasmuch as the belts 20 and 21 are constructed of leather or other suitable material to alford a maximum gripping action, and in view of the relatively great pressure afforded by the rollers, the traveling plates 15 procure a decided advantage in reducing the friction incidental to movement of the belts over the table.

The journal shaft 29 of the upper forward pulley 20 of each endless belt comprises the main drive shaft for each throat section and carries a belt 30 adapted to be driven from any desired source. This shaft 29 is journaled on a frame comprising vertical beams 31 and transverse beams 32 extended at the sides of the throat mechanism whereby said frame may serve as the mounting for the shaft 33 of the corresponding scutching drum. The shaft 29 has xed thereon a `sprocket wheel 34 from which a chain 35 depends for driving the pulley of the lower endless belt 20, and the shafts 36 of the pulley 19 and sprocket wheel 17 carrying the endless chain 16 are connected by a conventionally designated chain 37. It will be appreciated, however, that the specific driving arrangement is entirely incidental.

Each scutching drum extends rearwardly@ from the head frame of its corresponding throat section and its shaft 33 is carried by a pair of journal blocks 38 seated on wedge blocks 39 which are in turn seated on beveled blocks 40 carried by transverse sills 41 of the frame. Clamping bolts 42 are passed through the bearing blocks or beveled blocks and the frame and through longitudinal slots 43 in the wedge blocks. Consequently byl adjusting the wedge blocks, the elevation of the drums may be varied to thus vary their scutching action in connection with the i, skeleton aprons 10.

The scutching drum shafts 33 carry sprocket wheels 44 connected by chains 45 with counter shafts which have beveled gear connections 47 with the pulley shafts 29 of the throat sections.

As in my said previous patent, each of the scutching drumscomprise a cylindrical wall portion 48 and this wall portion is mounted on the shaft by spokes 49 radiating from a series of hub members 50 on the shafts, having threaded connections with said hub members and rotatable connections with the wall of the drum whereby to provide for truing adjustment of said walls. The walls of the drum carry beater blades comprising outer flexible sections 51 and inner rigid sections 52 suitablyconnected to the walls andv also carry series of spring teeth 53.

In operation of the machine, the hemp is fed into the forward end of the throat section A and in moving past the drum C, the adjacent side of the hemp is subjected to an eicient beating and combing operation to remove the hurds and tow libers, the hurds paing through the skeleton apron 10, andv4 the tow fibers being conveyed by the drum to the outer casing of thev apron. Upon passing the drum C, the inner combed and beaten portion of the hemp is engaged by the throat v section B, and the hemp moves past the drum D to subject its other side, including the portion previously held by the throat section A, to the combing and beating operation. While passing from one throat section to the other the hemp is guided by means of a stationary guard apron 60, as shown in Fig. 1. This prevents the fibers from passing between the two throat sections. Thus plates, a second `endless gesamt the line bers of the' hemp are subjected to proper scutching operation throughout their entire lengths.

While I have shown and described a preferred embodiment of my invention, it is obvious that to meet differing conditions of use, various modications of structure may be resorted to without departing from the spirit of my invention as interpreted by the appended claims.

at is claimed,

l. In a scutching machine, a gripping and conveying mechanism including upper and lower endless belts, 'means clampingly engaging the inner stretch of one of the belts, a traveling bed engaging the inner stretch of the other belt whereby said inner stretches are held in clamping relation, and means `for driving said belts.

2. ln a scutching machine, a gripping and conveying mechanism including a track, an endless chain, bed plates carried by the chain and slidable on the track, an endless belt having one stretch-seated against said bed belt, means clampingly engaging one stretch of said second endless belt with the said stretch of the rst belt and means for driving said belts and chain.

3. ln a scutching machine, a' bed comprising a pair of outer sills and an intermediate sill of less size than the outer sills to provide endless chain movable in said I have hereunto set my a pair of channels between the latter, a gripping and conveying mechanism including an channels, bed plates carried by the chain and slidable on said outer sills, an endless belt having one stretch seated against said bed plates, a second endless belt, means for clampingly engaging one stretch of said second endless belt with the said stretch of the first belt, and means fdr driving said belts and chain.

4. In a scutching machine, a gripping and conveying mechanism including upper and lower endless belts, a support for the inner stretch of one of the belts, spring urged rollers engaging the inner stretch of the other belt, inter-engaging ribs on the adjacent faces of the inner stretches of said belts, annular flanges on the outer ends of certain of Said rollers for engagement with the outer sides of the adjacent belt whereby to hold both of said belts in longitudinal alinement and against lateral shifting, and means for driving said belts.

In testimony that l claim the foregoing the county of Fond -du Lac and State ont Wlsconsin,

in the presence of two witnesses.

JUHN HUBLER. Witnesses:

F. R. Scnrwannr, D. M. Hmmm.

hand at Brandon, in 

